


One Minute too late

by Eladriel



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02 AU, Season/Series 02, Season/Series 03, slightly AU, thomas arrives in nassau, thomas searching for captain flint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-02-27 19:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eladriel/pseuds/Eladriel
Summary: Thomas is free to leave the plantation and decides to visit Nassau. He wants to see Captain Flint, he wants to see the man who killed Miranda and James.





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> First a big THANK YOU to islndgurl777 for getting rid of all my grammar and typing errors!
> 
> And a few warnings:  
> \- The idea for this story has been in my head for quite a while now. I hope I can write it down as good as I want to  
> \- This is my first fiction in this fandom but I'll do my best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas is released from the Plantation and is traveling to Nassau to meet Captain Flint.

When they offered him freedom Thomas’ first thought was to decline. He had spend the last years on this plantation and there was no life he could return to. His father, Miranda, and James were all dead. Killed by Captain Flint. Not that he grieved much about his father, but he had hoped for Miranda and James to escape. To find a place to live outside of England. That thought had kept him sane during the time in Bethlem and the news of their deaths shattered him even more when they handed him Peter’s letter two months after he arrived at the plantation. Seven years later they told him he could leave. He could actually walk right out of those gates and go wherever he wanted to go. 

He found the strength to leave two days later and took the little pack they provided him, with a few clothes, some food, and a few coins and a destination in mind. At least one time he wanted to see New Providence Island with his own eyes. The island that took everything from him. Also some rumors said that Nassau was the harbor of Captain Flint. Maybe he would have the opportunity to meet the man who killed the two people he loved most and ask him why. And maybe, if at this point he was still alive, he could thank him for killing his father.

 

When the ship he sailed on arrived in Nassau he was a little bit weak in his knees. He had never liked sailing and was relieved to have solid ground beneath his feet again. 

He didn’t know where he should go first. Strolling through the streets he tried to not get lost completely. When he finally found his way into the tavern it was nearly dark outside. His money would at least give him something to drink and eat and if he was lucky also a bed. 

He would have to find a way to earn some money the next day, but all he wanted now was a warm meal and a good night’s sleep without the pitch and the toss of the waves.

 

Life in Nassau was easier than he expected. A storeowner offered him payment for maintaining the books and that was enough to rent a small room in the tavern and have a warm meal once a day. He spend his evenings at the bar, gathering as much information about this place and the people as possible. 

Trying to put together the story of Nassau helped him to focus. Every time he walked through the town he imagined James standing in front of one of the buildings in his Navy uniform. When he had been gone for three month to Nassau Thomas would have sworn that he wouldn’t survive if James was ever gone for so long again. And now here he was, alive, standing in the streets of Nassau and feeling the pain of his loss more than ever.

 

He sat on the small balcony that belonged to his room and looked at the horde of pirates waiting for the fight to begin. As far as he knew they wanted to get Captain Vane out of the fort while Captain Flint was planning to get biggest treasure the island has ever seen. He was sure he was missing some details in this conflict and was curious which site would be the victorious one. 

While Captain Flint was still on his ship, waiting for the dawn to start the attack on the fort, everyone on land was holding their breath in anticipation if this fight was going to happen or not.

 

He was awoken by the first shoots of the cannons.

The whole building was shaking and he was wondering how stable the woodwork was.

It took them nearly two hours to defeat the Fort but in the end a big part of the walls were missing. 

He watched the crews building their camps on the beach and was kind of happy he had no reason to walk through this armed crowd.

For a short moment he thought about going downstairs and just asking for Captain Flint. Seven years he had longed to see this man but now he decided it could wait a few more days until this conflict was over. 

 

The next day the camps were gone. The invasion of the Fort had never happened and the crews had returned to their ships. The Fort was shattered to pieces and some of the buildings nearby were destroyed by fire. 

Thomas was standing on the balcony again watching the people doing their daily business when he spotted Eleanor talking to a man in a black coat. That must be him, he thought. That must be Captain Flint, as he fit the descriptions he got from the people at the bar. Thomas planned to walk downstairs and step into the conversation. He wanted to get to know this man. He wanted to speak to him. He was sure that this would be the missing step to find peace and finally find the way into a life after London. He was just about to walk back in and grab his shirt when Captain Flint turned around and Thomas froze.

“James,” he whispered.


	2. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas just realized that Captain Flint is James and wants to talk to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewatched Season 2 the last days to get the events into the right order. Because of that I edited chapter one a little to correct some timing errors.
> 
> Also I'm sorry that my chapters a rather short, but I'm better writing it that way, and you get updates more often.

“James!” he tried to scream but his voice was nothing more than a fading croak.

As fast as he could he stumbled back into the room, grabbing his shirt on the way and running down the stairs to the street, nearly stumbling over his own feet. 

He cursed himself for his bad sense of orientation and for not determining the streets more thoroughly when he ended up in a dead end.

When he finally found Eleanor James was gone.

“Where is he?” he asked, breathing heavily.

“Who?”

“James. Captain Flint,” he corrected himself when he saw her puzzled face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you just missed him, he’s on the way back to his ship, he’s going to set sails.”

“Which way did he take?” he asked, still out of breath.

“This one,” she pointed out and watched him irritated as he started running again.

 

It took him only some minutes to get to the beach, but when he arrived James’ boat had already arrived at his ship.

“Fuck!” he growled and started searching for a boat he could take to follow him. 

“May I help you?” an old guy asked him.

“I need to get on that ship! Do you have a boat?”

The man looked at the ocean, “That one?”

“Yes that one, it is really urgent, so I’m kindly asking you, do you have a boat?”

“I have, but I’m sorry son, you won't make it. They’re already setting sail.”

“Did you get him?” Eleanor asked him when he entered the tavern half an hour later.

“No, missed him by a minute,” he sighed and sat down at the bar.

“What did you want from him?” she asked and poured him some rum.

“He’s a good friend. I haven’t seen him in ten years. I thought he was dead.”

“I’m sorry you missed him. But if we are lucky he will be back soon and then everything will get better here.”

“Where is going?”

“He and Mrs. Barlow are bringing home a girl who was captured by a foreign pirate crew. If we are lucky this will secure our life here in Nassau.”

“Miranda is with him?” Thomas, who realized that Miranda was using her maiden name again, asked in relief.

“So you know her too?” Eleanor asked, curious.

“She’s my wife,” he smiled and enjoyed her shocked face. “So is this girl someone popular?”

“Abigale Ash. The daughter of Carolina's Governor Lord Ash.”

“Peter?” he asked in disbelief. “They’re going to meet with Lord Peter Ash?” He jumped from his chair.

“Yes, what is wrong?”

“We have to stop them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As soon as I rewatched the last three episodes of season 2 I will finish the next chapter ;-)


	3. III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas just realized that Captain Flint is James.

“What? Why should we stop him?” Eleanor asked in disbelief. “There is no reason why this shouldn’t work. We’re returning Abigale to Lord Ash, why should he turn against us?”  
“It is not Peter who I fear will turn against us. It will be James.”  
“No!” she cut him off. “We fought for this place together for years, he will not fail us.”  
“Do you know the story of Lord Hamilton, Eleanor?”  
“Only the popular gossip. His best friend started and affair with his wife, and out of grief he killed himself and the two of them sailed away to live happily ever after.”  
“I am Lord Thomas Hamilton, and as you can see me standing here, you can imagine that the other parts of that story are as wrong as the one that I killed myself.”  
He let her think about his words some moments, watching her expression while she tried to get this new information together.  
“Then tell me the truth. Tell me the truth and give me reason why I should call off this mission and destroy the last chance we have to save this island?”  
Thomas smiled, “Okay, but if I tell you the whole truth, you have to promise me that we go after him.”  
She nodded.

“Around ten years ago James was an Officer in the Royal Navy. He was sent to me by the Admiralty to help me. Our task was to form a plan to save Nassau. We had some uncommon ideas that were kind of risky but we believed in them. You already know that Miranda is my wife. James didn’t have an affair with her.... He … he had a relationship with me. My father used this relationship to stop our plans for Nassau. He sent me into a mental hospital, telling everyone I killed myself, and James and Miranda were sent into exile.   
During this time Peter was one of my closest friends. He was the only one who spent enough time with us to figure out this relationship. And he was the one who gave this information to my father. He betrayed us... some years ago he sent me letter... telling me that James was dead. And that he was sorry for what he had done. I was never that kind of person who seeks revenge. But if James finds out. I don’t know what he will do.”

“So what is your plan?” she asked, inhaling slowly.  
“I have to talk to him before he arrives in Charlestown. I have to talk to him and explain everything. I’m sure I can calm him down and then we can approach Peter together.”  
“I will make sure there is a ship ready as fast as possible. Pack some things and wait here.”

He had hoped to not put a foot on a ship for the next years but he would do anything right now to get to James in time. They had to make up six hours to catch his ship. It would take them a week to get the whole way to Charlestown but he was hoping that the wind was good and they would meet them sooner.  
After three hours on sea the captain threatened to cut out his tongue if he asked one more time how they were doing.  
“We’re doing fine, the wind is stable and they have the same wind as we have, so please be quiet. I’m sure the crew will find some tasks for you to keep your head busy with something useful.”

When he awoke this morning Thomas felt that something was different. It took him some time to figure that he didn’t feel sick this morning. The last days he felt a constant level of sea sickness but today he felt fine. As he stood up to to walk on deck he realized that the ship wasn’t moving anymore. It should take them another three days before they would arrive in Charlestown and Thomas hurried onto deck.  
When he stepped outside he looked around to see only water and a clear blue sky.  
“Why aren’t we moving anymore?” he asked the next crewman that crossed his way.  
“We are in a calm” he answered and shrugged his shoulders “but it shouldn’t take long. There clouds coming over there,” he pointed.  
Thomas needed some moments to find the mentioned clouds as for him they were nearly impossible to see.   
“What do you mean with ‘not long’?”  
“A day, maybe two,”  
Thomas left the man where he was standing and approached the captain “Why aren’t we moving?”  
The captain sighed and rolled his eyes unable for Thomas to see “We’re in a calm.”  
“You know we have to get to Captain Flint before he arrives in Charlestown.”  
“Yes I know, you’ve mentioned it around a hundred times during the last days. But as much as I would like to get to them within the next hour, because that would mean you would leave this ship and I could care for my regular business again, I can’t change the weather. And as long as this is a sailing vessel we need wind to move.”

Thomas stood at the rail and was watching over the completely calm sea. In his mind different scenarios of what could happen in Charlestown played again and again.   
In over half of them James got shot by some guard while accusing Peter for murder and in the others he got hanged for being one of the most feared pirate captains.   
He couldn’t help him while he was stuck on this god damned boat and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again without speaking a single word to him.  
Still tormented by this thoughts he couldn’t fall asleep easily this night but when he woke in the morning he was relieved to feel that slight sickness again.

“Thomas!” he was woken a few days later “We’re there!”  
He nearly jumped to his feet and ran onto deck.  
When he saw Charlestown at the horizon the city was burning.


	4. IV.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas ist back from Charlestown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very big thank you to my Beta again. She's improving my english a lot :)

The bottle in his hand was almost empty. He felt the familiar dizziness but still he was haunted by the memories he tried to drink away. 

He had lost track of time somewhere in the last weeks, but it must have been two or three months since he returned to Nassau. Still he saw the burning and destroyed houses of Charlestown clearly everytime he closed his eyes. He was still haunted by the image of  Miranda’s dead body lying pale and cold in the impersonal coffin. He wished he could have taken her with him. To bury her somewhere outside of Nassau where he could have visited her. 

The crew of the ship had just agreed to a burial at sea. It was far better than leaving her there but he missed her. He had missed her all the years but it was different now knowing that she was dead. 

 

He didn’t remember much of his travel back to Nassau. After they had brought Miranda’s body to the ship he wanted to continue his search for James, even as he was afraid that he would find him in the same way he had found Miranda. But they didn’t let him go back. They told him that Flint’s ship wasn’t lying in the bay anymore and that, if he was still alive, he was already gone. He had said that he needed to be sure. That he needed the proof that Flint wasn’t dead. The ship had set sail anyway. 

He had spent nearly the whole time of the journey in his hammock staring at the ceiling.

All he could do was hope that James was still alive and that sooner or later he would find him. 

Why? Why had he been late again? 

He could have saved her. If he had been there just in time to convince them not to meet Peter, he could have saved her.

If he had been a little bit faster, and had known the streets of Nassau a little bit better, he could have stopped them before sailing to Charlestown.  

If he hadn’t hesitated but had decided to face Flint directly after he had arrived in Nassau he could have saved them both. 

 

He emptied his bottle. 

He could have saved them both. 

He could have saved James if he hadn’t spent the whole journey to Nassau in his hammock not realizing that they stopped in two different harbors before they were on the right course again.

If he had made sure that they were going back on the direct course he would have been in Nassau when James arrived after his stop in Tortuga. 

He would have been here to stop him from setting sail again or he would have joined him on his journey. After all the time he spent on ships in the last month he wasn’t bothered by sailing anymore.  

If he could have talked to him before he left Nassau again they would have found a way to deal with everything that happened. They would have found a way together. 

He had been sitting at the beach every morning and every evening after work and had waited for James. He had seen many ships arriving and leaving, learned their names and had been hoping every time he saw sails at the horizon that this time it was James.

 

The night when they were presented the flag of the Walrus and were informed about Flint’s death had been the first time he had ordered some rum. Since then it became more and more each night. 

He tried to drink away the pain that the memory of James’ face caused. 

He tried to drink away the picture of Miranda’s dead body. 

He tried to drink away the constant feeling of guilt that was driving him mad. 

It became harder and harder for him to get up and go to work. Afterwards he spend most of the night in the tavern. 

Living in Miranda’s and James’ old house was reminding him too much of everything. 

When Eleanor returned with the new Governor and heard his story she had showed it to him. “As we lost both of them it seems only right that it is yours now,” she had said.

Everything in this house reminded him about them.

He had spent hours staring at the old portrait of him and Miranda. He had spent even more hours  staring at his own handwriting, written on the first page of his favorite book.

He hadn’t changed anything in the house. He hadn’t used anything else than the bed, a cup, and a plate. Everything else was still standing on the exact spot where James and Miranda had left it. On the end of the bed was still one of James’ worn shirts. He used to smell it before he went to sleep but James’ scent was already vanishing.

 

There had been some other changes since he came back from Charlestown. 

Eleanor had arrived with the British Navy. Vane and some other older pirate captain had left Nassau and everyone wanted to turn away from piracy.

The new Governor had offered pardons to the pirates. 

He had just met him once for a short moment but it was enough to hate this guy. 

The pardons were his and James’ project. James and Miranda were just killed for it and now this new governor just appeared in Nassau, stole their idea, and was succeeding. Not that he approved of piracy now, but he hoped that this new Governor would get kicked in the ass and fail miserably.  

 

The barkeeper handed him a new bottle. 

It was already after midnight. Most of the guests were already gone and the remaining ones were just silently finishing their drinks. 

Thomas was facing the wall and concentrating on his bottle as he heard that the door was forcefully opened. 

He didn’t even bother to look who was entering. Instead he opened his new bottle and took a big swallow. He heard several footsteps entering the tavern, stopping at one of the tables. 

One of them started speaking to the guests of the tavern but Thomas couldn’t get any sense in his words. He figured out he must be pirate as he was saying something about the pardons and a pirate crew.

“Tomorrow Captain Flint will return to Nassau!” 


	5. V.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas just found out that Flint is still alive. Will he finally find him?

Thomas was sober within an instant. He turned around to see who was speaking. 

He remembered the face, he had seen it before in the tavern and around town but he didn’t remember the name of the man. 

His mind was racing, could James really be alive? 

Could he really be back in Nassau after all? 

Thomas watched, unable to move, as the man killed another with his artificial leg. 

“When did he get that?” he asked himself. The last time he had seen him he still had both of his own legs. What cruel thing had happened to him? If this man was this badly injured would James be ok? Had he also been injured? The pirate hunters had told them they had destroyed their ship. What happened to James during this battle?

Lost in his thoughts he nearly missed that the men from James’ crew were leaving. 

The door was nearly closed behind them when Thomas’ mind released him from his paralyzed state and he jumped to his feet and headed after them.

 

“Where is he?” he called after them.

Slowly the one-legged man turned around.

“Where is who?”

“Captain Flint. You said he will return to Nassau tomorrow. Where is he?” Thomas hoped his voice sounded steadier than he felt.

“And you are?” the man raised an eyebrow.

“My name is Tom. I am…” he wasn’t sure what he should tell them. “I am an old friend of Ja... Captain Flint.” He still wasn’t used to calling James by this name.

“An old friend?” the suspicion was clearly heard in the man's voice. 

“We haven’t seen each other for some years,” he tried to explain.

The men were stepping closer to him. 

“Interesting. I never heard him speak about a friend named Tom.”

“Please, I really need to speak with him.”

“You heard our speech in the tavern, he will be at the beach tomorrow. You can see him there.”

“Can’t I just  accompany you? I will be not threat, I’m not even armed.” He knew he sounded miserable but he didn’t care. 

The one-legged man signaled to one of his companions,  who started to search Thomas for any weapons. When he couldn’t find any he nodded and the one-legged man sighed. “Okay, you can come with us but I can’t promise you that you will return. Captain Flint will not be happy if you waste his time.”

“Understood.” 

 

Thomas got more and more nervous during their walk to the beach.

What if James didn’t want to see him?

What if he had moved on during all the years?

Would James even recognize him?

What if he had forgotten him?

What would be James’ reaction when he saw him?

Would he be happy to see him?

He had never stopped loving James. Over all the years he and Miranda were the only people he could think of. And what he had felt for Miranda was still something completely different than what he was still feeling for James.   

During all the time he knew James was alive he had wanted nothing more to finally see him and have him back in his arms, but now that he was actually going to see him he was scared to the bone.

He held his hands in his pockets as they were heavily shaking and he needed all his willpower to place one step after another. 

 

When they reached the beach and entered the small boat he felt more sick than during all his time on sea. Even more sick than after his worst drunken nights. 

He tried to distract himself and thought of James and his time back in London.

He still remembered the last time he had seen James. It was the morning before he was send to Bethlem. He had been lying in the bed and James was already up, dressing himself. 

“Come back to bed,” he had murmured, still sleepy. 

Due to his duty for the Navy, James had been up early always. Thomas had to convince him back to bed every morning they spent together.

“I want to meet with the Admiral as early as possible. The sooner we have him on our side the better,” James had answered him.

“I know, but one hour will not change anything.” He had reached for James’ arm when he had come in reach and had pulled him back onto the bed.

It had been their last kiss. 

 

Thomas needed all his concentration to climb up the ladder to get up to ship. His hands were still shaking and his knees were weak. 

It was dark on board of the Walrus. Only a few lanterns were lit and the moon was hiding behind big, grey clouds. Still he recognized James without any doubt. He was standing at the rail staring at the lights of Nassau.

“Captain,” the one-legged man, whose name was Silver Thomas had learned, called, “here’s someone who wants to talk to you. Said he’s a friend of yours.”

Thomas watched the black frame turning in their direction and stepping closer to them. James took the few steps to the lower deck and stepped into the light of the lanterns. 

His crew might not have noticed the small signs in James’ face but Thomas saw it cleary changing from curious, to puzzled and then  to complete disbelief.

On their way to the ship Thomas had played over a hundred different scenarios how he wanted to approach James and what he wanted to tell him. 

Now he was thinking about all of them again and about fifty more. 

Still thinking about what he should say he realized that he was moving when he was standing right in front of James and his body was acting on its own.

“This,” he slapped James right into the face “is for making me chase you over the whole damn ocean though you know how much I hated sailing.”

“This,” he slapped him again “is for making me believe you were dead. Again!”

“And this,” he grabbed James, who hadn’t moved a single muscle since he had seen Thomas, by the neck and kissed him, “is for misleading us all and still being alive.”

“Thomas?” James whispered in disbelief.

“Yes,” he smiled and pulled James into another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Thomas found Flint after all. I hope it was worth the wait.   
> There will be one more chapter of happy reunion stuff sonn ;-)

**Author's Note:**

> I will add tags while this story is going on, also it might be that the rating will change depending on where my inspiration will get me.


End file.
